Archibald S. Alexander
Encyclopedia
Archibald Stevens Alexander (28 October 1906 – 4 September 1979) was an American
lawyer, civil servant, and Democratic
politician. He served as Under Secretary of the United States Army
in the Truman Administration and as New Jersey State Treasurer
.
, New York
, the son of Archibald Stevens Alexander and Helen Tracy Barney Alexander.
Alexander's great-great-great-grandfather was John Stevens
(c. 1715-1792), delegate in 1784 to the Continental Congress
; his great-great-grandfather was John Stevens
(1749–1838), who developed early versions of screw-propelled steamboat
and steam locomotive
; one of his great-grandfathers was Brigadier General James Scollay Whitney
(1811–1878), president of the Metropolitan Steamship Company
; another great-grandfather was Ashbel H. Barney
(1816–1886), president of Wells Fargo & Company.
Alexander received a B.A.
degree from Princeton University
(1928) and an LL.B.
from Harvard Law School
(1931). He married Susan Dimock Tilton in New York City on 24 June 1929. She died in 1935. He married Jean Struthers Sears (1907–1983) at Beverly, Massachusetts
, on 4 August 1937; her sister was Emily Sears, who married Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
After completing law school Alexander joined the New York firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn, where he was a partner from 1940 to 1949. During World War II
Alexander served in the United States Army
. He was commissioned as first lieutenant in 1942 and served in the European
and Mediterranean Theatres. He was discharged from the Army in 1945, having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel
.
's Foreign Service Selection Board and served as a consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission
on security and personnel matters. He was Assistant Secretary of the Army from 1949 to 1950 and Under Secretary from 1950 to 1952.
Alexander was active in Democratic politics in New Jersey. In 1948 he was the Democratic candidate for United States Senate
but lost to Robert C. Hendrickson
. He was again the Democratic nominee in 1952, losing to Howard Alexander Smith. From 1954 to 1955 he served as Treasurer of the State of New Jersey. In 1956 he was Director of Volunteers for the presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson.
Alexander was President of the Free Europe Committee
from 1959 to 1963. In 1963 he was appointed Assistant Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
, remaining in this position until 1969. From 1971 until his death he was president of the Arms Control Association
.
Alexander had a long involvement with Rutgers University
. As state treasurer, he was a public member of the university's Board of Trustees. In 1956 he was appointed to the newly created Board of Governors for Rutgers and also rejoined the Board of Trustees, serving on both until 1973. Alexander chaired the Board of Governors from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1971 to 1973. The central university library is named in his honor.
Alexander died at his home in Bernardsville, New Jersey
after a short illness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, civil servant, and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician. He served as Under Secretary of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Truman Administration and as New Jersey State Treasurer
New Jersey Department of the Treasury
The mission of the New Jersey Department of the Treasury is to formulate and manage the state's budget, generate and collect revenues, disburse the appropriations used to operate New Jersey state government, manage the state's physical and financial assets, and provide statewide support services to...
.
Early life and war service
Alexander was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Archibald Stevens Alexander and Helen Tracy Barney Alexander.
Alexander's great-great-great-grandfather was John Stevens
John Stevens (New Jersey)
John Stevens was a prominent politician from New Jersey who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1783....
(c. 1715-1792), delegate in 1784 to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
; his great-great-grandfather was John Stevens
John Stevens (inventor)
Col. John Stevens, III was an American lawyer, engineer and an inventor.-Life and career:Born the son of John Stevens , a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth Alexander, daughter of New York lawyer and statesman James Alexander. His...
(1749–1838), who developed early versions of screw-propelled steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
and steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
; one of his great-grandfathers was Brigadier General James Scollay Whitney
James Scollay Whitney
James Scollay Whitney was an American business executive and politician. He was the father of Henry Melville Whitney and William Collins Whitney, founders of the Whitney family business interests....
(1811–1878), president of the Metropolitan Steamship Company
Metropolitan Steamship Company
The Metropolitan Steamship Company was for 75 years one of the chief transportation links between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse in 1906...
; another great-grandfather was Ashbel H. Barney
Ashbel H. Barney
Ashbel Holmes Barney was an American banker and expressman who served as president of Wells Fargo & Company in 1869-1870.-Early life:...
(1816–1886), president of Wells Fargo & Company.
Alexander received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(1928) and an LL.B.
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(1931). He married Susan Dimock Tilton in New York City on 24 June 1929. She died in 1935. He married Jean Struthers Sears (1907–1983) at Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
, on 4 August 1937; her sister was Emily Sears, who married Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
After completing law school Alexander joined the New York firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn, where he was a partner from 1940 to 1949. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Alexander served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He was commissioned as first lieutenant in 1942 and served in the European
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
and Mediterranean Theatres. He was discharged from the Army in 1945, having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
.
Political and civic career
In 1947 Alexander was appointed to the State DepartmentUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
's Foreign Service Selection Board and served as a consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
on security and personnel matters. He was Assistant Secretary of the Army from 1949 to 1950 and Under Secretary from 1950 to 1952.
Alexander was active in Democratic politics in New Jersey. In 1948 he was the Democratic candidate for United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
but lost to Robert C. Hendrickson
Robert C. Hendrickson
Robert Clymer Hendrickson was a United States Senator from New Jersey.-Biography:Born in Woodbury, New Jersey, he attended public schools and during the First World War enlisted in the United States Army in 1918 and served overseas...
. He was again the Democratic nominee in 1952, losing to Howard Alexander Smith. From 1954 to 1955 he served as Treasurer of the State of New Jersey. In 1956 he was Director of Volunteers for the presidential campaign of Adlai Stevenson.
Alexander was President of the Free Europe Committee
National Committee for a Free Europe
The National Committee for a Free Europe was an American anti-communist organization, founded on March 17, 1949 in New York, which worked for the spreading of American influence in Europe and to oppose Stalin's Soviet occupation and dictatorship...
from 1959 to 1963. In 1963 he was appointed Assistant Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
The U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency was established as an independent agency of the United States government by the Arms Control and Disarmament Act , September 26, 1961, a bill drafted by presidential adviser John J. McCloy. Its predecessor was the U.S. Disarmament Administration, part...
, remaining in this position until 1969. From 1971 until his death he was president of the Arms Control Association
Arms Control Association
The Arms Control Association is a US-based national nonpartisan membership organization founded in 1971 with the self-stated mission of promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies...
.
Alexander had a long involvement with Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. As state treasurer, he was a public member of the university's Board of Trustees. In 1956 he was appointed to the newly created Board of Governors for Rutgers and also rejoined the Board of Trustees, serving on both until 1973. Alexander chaired the Board of Governors from 1959 to 1963 and again from 1971 to 1973. The central university library is named in his honor.
Alexander died at his home in Bernardsville, New Jersey
Bernardsville, New Jersey
Bernardsville is a borough and affluent suburb in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. Bernardsville has the 10th-highest per capita income in the state. Nationwide, Bernardsville ranks 75th among the 100 highest-income places in the United States...
after a short illness.
External links
- Biographical information for Archibald S. Alexander from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...